It's been a while...

It has been a very long while since I've done any water coloring!  After watching Jill Foster do her magic with the new Penny Black Christmas release, I was itching to get my palette of Distress re-inkers out again!  Another item from my big sale-shopping-spree at Alex Syberia Designs recently determined my playtime today!

Enter ASD's Cindy Lou's Poppies... first stamped in Memento Toffee Crunch ink onto a piece of Canson Cold Pressed paper then water colored using aforementioned re-inkers ...

I then stamped two of the other stems directly to my card panel - also

Canson 140# cold pressed paper - and die-cut my painted Poppies.

Before arranging the flower heads, I did a little splattering and

puddling of leftover green and cut it down using an MFT Wonky Rectangle.

Then came the lifted blooms.

I'm quite pleased at how this one turned out - I admit to being a bit rusty!

I'm almost ready to get my PB Christmas stamps out!

I hope you're having a great week - we're nearing the end of August!  Where

has the month gone?  Between picking green beans, raising butterflies,

and staying on top of watering my pots of peppers and herbs it has been a busy but wonderful month.  

Thanks so much for dropping by!

=] Michele

Freshly Made Sketches #751

Hello, friends!  Glad you stopped by today - I am the happy hostess of this week's Freshly Made Sketches #751 and I hope you like it!

When we get close to Autumn my heart is happy to turn to leaves!  In fact, my sketch is taken from a card I made many years ago.  You can find that one HERE - but come back because I have TWO cards to [fingers crossed] pique your playtime!

As promised two lovely golden leaves!  Of course we can't have leaves

without trees, or trees without bark!  I added a deep delicious brown

woodgrain cardstock, my first tipped square of green that was cut using an

old favorite Spellbinders Hemstitched die and then another

kraft woodgrain cardstock before topping them with my leaves - from Lawn Fawn

and perhaps one of my oldest sets from 2015 - and a tiny little linen bow!

My sentiment is from ASD's Spring Garden set.

Ready for the second?  It had to be a Christmas card!

It's pretty self-explanatory - but in case you're wondering,

 the snowflake is from HoneyBee's Lovely Layers: Large Snowflakes dies set - 

cut from sparkly paper from The Stamp Market.

Well?  What do you think?  Are your juices flowing? lol

You have plenty of time to make a card - or two - before the window

closes on Monday, August 26th at 3pm EST!

Okay - let's go see what the team has made, shall we?

=] Michele

The Paper Players #800!

The Paper Players is celebrating its 800th challenge this week, and I couldn't wait to have a play with their original sketch... they say it's been given a facelift, but wouldn't we all need one at 800?? lol

 

I thought I take advantage of all these layers to use some fun Halloween

patterned papers and a die set from HoneyBee: Toil and Trouble.

My  Her broomstick is being a bit evasive but perhaps you can

see it in this closeup?  I love pink with orange, so I took liberties with

the usual black hat and brown broomsticks!

inside sentiment: you don't look a day over 799!

The pumpkin is a stenciled one of a trio from The Ton.  My papers are

from Scrapbook.com's spooky patterned paper collection.  And the sentiment

is an oldie from MFT.  I've given everything a bit of distressing with black soot

ink - not my usual thing.  I'm nearly sorry about it - tell me what you think?

Congratulations to all the members of The Paper Players who woo us into playing along with their fabulous cards each week!  And a special thanks to LeAnne for introducing me to this fun challenge!  I've loved playing cards with you all!

=] Michele

The Paper Players #799

 

Okay, I am looking forward to Fall - but not quite ready to let go of Summer!  The Paper Players is looking for Fall-forward cards this week, and I had one more new embossing folder to share with you - it did the trick!

Spellbinders' Lined Circles EF; Sizzix 665559 dies with Distress Oxide blending

and gold heat-embossed tips!

That's it for me this week - see you next week!

=] Michele

Just us Girls #837

 

I just had to enlarge the gorgeous photo that Lisa has provided for

her Mood Board Week at Just us Girls #837 ... take it in for a moment:

The JUGS team and Betty Keefe their guest designer have really made gorgeous cards.  And I had a new set in my hot little crafty hands to play with... 

no time like the present!  I must say I was really inspired by Betty's card!  

Too bad I forgot the butterflies!

Armed with pretty papers from The Stamp Market and PTI,

I die cut all the pieces then added extra color using the inks above.  This set is the

next in the series of its type from Concord & 9th and goes together

so easily just like a layered puzzle using the debossed base piece

as your guide.  Let's start with her closeup:

I love how it turned out and found an embossed panel in my snippets that worked

perfectly so I used the same cardstock for my card base. 

This sentiment set came with the Autumn Splendor bundle - but is sold separately.

Thanks Betty, and Lisa for inspiring my card session today!

=] Michele

Just us Girls #836

Sorry to pop in twice today, but I just couldn't let Bobby's WATER challenge at Just us Girls #836 go by! 

A few shades of ocean blue and a simple sentiment and it was done!

Pink Pink Posh Waves dies and a sentiment from 

Alex Syberia Designs' Sunkissed Memories set!

You can't imagine how badly I wanted to write:

GO JUMP IN THE LAKE!

=] Michele

Freshly Made Sketches #750

 

Cécile has a really wonderful sketch for us this week at

Freshly Made Sketches #750 and I couldn't help but see my new

SB Cocoa Wonderland sitting there on her triangle!

I 'stretched' the size of it by stacking/overlapping two SU! dot-y panels

from Lovely Arrangement's die set.  I didn't spare the whipped cream

topping this time and stuck more trees into it!

I just LOve this guy! So whimsical - and isn't that sentiment pretty?

From Marcia's stash: Opposites Attract Holiday version from The Greetery!

Let's go see how Cecile and my teammates used that fun sketch and

then we invite YOU to play, too!  The gallery is open until Monday, 

August 24th at 3 EST!

=] Michele